Review of Blue Velvet (1986) by Liam U — 26 Mar 2010

It's a strange world, or at least, it is when Lynch is pulling the strings. Undoubtedly a fascinating director with a definitive and uncompromising vision, Lynch presents the bizarre and then stands back to allow the audience to put the pieces together however they please. Synonymous with the surreal, this is David Lynch's return to form after the critical lambasting his previous feature 'Dune (1984)' received.

'Blue Velvet (1986)' begins by establishing the picture-perfect idyllic town of Lumberton. But beneath the vibrant surface there lies a disturbing darkness crawling through suburbs. The story sees Jeffrey Beaumont return home from college after his father suffers a stroke. Upon a stroll through the neighbourhood, Jeffrey happens upon a human ear. So begins a descent into a nightmarish madness.

With strong neo-noir influences felt throughout, Jeffrey decides to play detective in an attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery behind the decapitated ear. He ropes in Laura Dern's character, Sandy, and is soon encountering a wild array of oddities.

The stand-out star is undoubtedly Dennis Hopper, as nitrous-oxide inhaling sadomasochist Frank Booth. He beats and abuses Isabeller Rossellini's character Dorothy Vallens, in some startling and disturbing scenes. Her performance is also marvellous, her confusion and hurt displayed perfectly. She is also mixed up in this dark world, dragged under by Frank.

With a spellbinding soundtrack, a mesmerizing story and great performances, the allure of Lumberton reaches out to ensnare the viewer. Sexual abuse is touched upon, but Lynch backs out before exploring it fully - a shame given Rossellini's brilliant performance. As the mystery unfolds and gives way to the horror within, it's a stark and disturbing place we're confronted with, but a place that's all too familiar.

As Lynch presents bizarre and fascinating images riddled with meaning, the main theme of the movie stands out clear and is hammered home. No matter how perfect things may appear on the surface, below there is always an evil or darkness waiting to emerge. Essentially a good vs evil tale, it is up to Jeffrey to resist the pulls and dark temptations of this world. Of course, with Lynch nothing is ever quite so clear-cut.